Spiral Dynamics

Understanding How Values May Affect Decisions

When you look back on your actions, decisions,
and ways of coping with problems, were your responses consistent?

Or have your reactions changed over the years? (Most people's
do.)

This is because our values and motivations change over time.

Psychologists have long been interested in these
changing reactions. In fact, some of the best-known psychological
theories on motivation have been derived from looking at this
very phenomenon. Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs and McGregor's
Theory X versus Theory Y are just two of the theories that
have emerged to explain what motivates people and why. Although
each theory is different, the question of what people value is
central to the theories of motivation and human development.

Spiral Dynamics, a fascinating but less known theory of
motivation, looks at the value systems that drive individuals'
beliefs and actions. The concept originated in the 1930s with the
work of Dr Clare Graves, but he died before publishing his theory.
With the popularity of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Graves' theory
slipped into obscurity until one of his students, Dr Don Beck,
wrote "Spiral Dynamics Integral" in 1996. This "new" theory is an
extended version of Graves' original.

Graves' original theory was called "The
Theory of Levels of Human Existence." Graves' theory attempted
to explain why people's reactions and motivations are so
different. It was Beck's application that brought the idea into
the main stream and applied it to workplace motivation.

Explaining the Idea

Spiral Dynamics differs from other theories
of human development and motivation in one key way: It doesn't
argue that we travel towards an ultimate destination and stay
there, it says that we continue to spiral through a helix of developmental
stages depending on the biological, social, environmental, and
psychological forces at work. As such, Spiral Dynamics attempts
to explain "everything" that influences human experience.

Essentially Spiral Dynamics was developed in
order to help us understand:

How people think about things (as opposed to "what" they think).

Why people make decisions in different ways.

Why people respond to different motivators.

Why and how values arise and spread.

The nature of change.

Spiral Dynamics: A Marriage of Two Concepts

Beck's theory of Spiral Dynamics developed from two similar, but distinct theories:

Graves' original Theory of Levels of Human Existence.

Dawkins' concept of "memes" (rhymes with "beams") .

Graves said that values are
what drive behavior. He categorized values (in this case, people's
views as to what is important to them about how the world is,
or should be) as being either individual-focused or group-focused.
Depending on the developmental stage a person is at, or where
they are on the Spiral Dynamics helix, their values will influence
everything they think and experience to a greater or lesser extent.
This means that their values will impact their:

Feelings

Ethics

Motivations

Beliefs

Preferences for learning and working

Political position

Ideas about social systems.

Dawkins, the zoologist and evolutionary scientist, uses the term
"memes" to describe the cultural information that is replicated
amongst people. These are things like fashion, artistic
techniques, slang words, and basic beliefs that are passed from
person to person. Like a gene, the fundamental biological unit
that is replicated in organisms, a meme is the fundamental
cultural unit that is reproduced within society.

Spiral Dynamics refers to vMemes (value memes) as the deeply held
values that influence human experience. vMemes are the mindsets,
concepts and paradigms that people ascribe to and are what they
use to govern their decisions and actions. It addresses the age
old question, "Why do people do what they do?"

The Helix Model

Spiral Dynamics theory is depicted as a color coded helix, where
each color represents a different vMeme. A simple representation
of this is shown in Figure 1 below.

The theory identifies eight Value Systems or vMemes, which it says have emerged to date. The ninth is
as yet undefined. These are identified below, starting at the
bottom of the spiral, with the most fundamental:

vMemes

Description

Values and Behaviors

Beige

Instinctive/Survivalist

Do what you must to survive.

Purple

Magical/Animistic

Use rituals and have a mystical sense of cause and effect.

Red

Impulsive/Egocentric

Emphasize cunning and doing what you want to do. The strong prevail and the weak serve.

Blue

Purposeful/Authoritarian

Desire ordered existence and enforce principles based on what is "right." Controlled by a higher power.

Orange

Strategic/Achievement Oriented

Take advantage of all opportunities and strive for success. Make things better and bring prosperity.

View the world as integrated systems and emphasize flexibility. Change is the norm.

Turquoise

Holistic

Combine mind and
spirit to experience life's complete existence. The world is a
delicate balance that is in jeopardy in human hands.

Coral

Undefined

We're not there
yet.

According to the theory, as people grow and
mature, their vMemes expand from a purely individual basis
to a more group or societal one. The key difference with Spiral
Dynamics is that people don't leap from one stage of development
to another; rather they spiral up and down. As they move up the
helix, their understanding of the world becomes more and more
complex.

Note:

While Spiral Dynamics argues that there is no desired end
point, the use of the spiral in diagramming implies a hierarchy
to these vMemes.

This implied hierarchy may suit some people in some circumstances,
but may seem inappropriate to other people in other circumstances.
More than this, it implies a particular end point of development
(particularly in the later stages) that people may agree
with or may not agree with, depending on their philosophies
and beliefs.

Again, according to the theory, this increased
complexity is what fosters human growth and development. In the
workplace, the higher the state of development, the more empathic
and understanding a person will be. This will impact their approach
to managing, leading, and working. Knowing what states others
are in will help you to determine what best motivates those people
and how best to interact with them. This approach argues that
the following types of workplace issues that can be positively
impacted by knowing and understanding value system states:

Team development.

Conflict management.

Management/leadership style.

Organizational culture.

Reward and recognition preferences.

Motivation strategies.

Effective communication.

Interpersonal relationships.

Sensitivity to change.

Ultimately, according to the theory, the higher
the vMeme, the better able you will be at getting along, motivating
yourself and others, and working productively to build a great
organization; presumably one that enriches society as a whole
as well as the employees, owners, and other stakeholders.

Using Spiral Dynamics

There are several types of assessment tool that use Spiral
Dynamics theory. There are three main types available for
evaluating Spiral Dynamics in the workplace.

Change State Indicator – an online assessment that evaluates readiness to change and
change preferences.

The Discoverer – used to
profile six vMemes, or value systems patterns, (Tribalistic,
Egocentric, Absolutistic, Multiplistic, Interpersonalistic,
and Systemic systems) which can be analyzed for optimal team
and organizational performance.

Values Profile II – the
same as the Discoverer, but includes a Holistic profile measurement
as well.

These assessments are supplied by several organizations. Some
assessments need to be run by people who are accredited to run
them, who have undergone prerequisite training. This helps ensure
that they are able to interpret the output of the assessments
correctly.

Tip:

Viewed as an idea with eight different vMemes, and without any judgment as to the relative value of these, this approach may be useful in understanding "what makes people tick."

Given, however, the implied hierarchy with Instinctive/Survivalist at the bottom and Holistic at the top, it's important to be extremely cautious about using it, and also to avoid making judgments about the superiority of one person's beliefs and values over another's. This is a sure way of losing support for any position you are seeking to advance.

Key Points

Spiral Dynamics is a theory of human development that can be used
to address how and why people do what they do. Rather than trying
to pinpoint one thing that might work for everyone or will work
for certain people at certain periods of development, Spiral
Dynamics takes a much more individual approach to motivation.

Tapping into these very individual, yet still
universal, human experiences can improve your understanding of
your own behavior and the behavior of others. Ultimately, the
theory argues, this increased awareness will improve your ability
to manage people, motivate people, lead people, and in general
relate to people.

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Comments (6)

Jax wroteOver a month ago

Were not there yet Speak for yourself, I know many people thinking in coral.

Yolande wroteOver a month ago

Hi ecomeaux

There is a lot of information in this articles, yes - and much to think about. Something that specifically interests me, is the ninth or undefined vMeme. What is it that caught your attention? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Yolandé

ecomeaux wroteOver a month ago

Loved this theory. Will have to ruminate on it for awhile.

Jara wroteOver a month ago

I've heard of Spiral Dynamics. It seems to very popular with people who are dedicated to making the world a better place. I have a friend who is very much into that holistic way of thinking. For me it's always been much easier to say than do unfortunately! But I admire people who are able to make the effort and put their money where their mouth is so to speak.

Jara

Dianna wroteOver a month ago

Thanks eeuoa77 - it really is an excellent conversation and one that lots of you might find interesting. We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on values in general as well as the models that have been developed to try to explain them.

Dianna

eeuoa77 wroteOver a month ago

Some good food for thought on how values change and contribute to motivations and decisions. There is a tread about Hierarchy of values and Core values in the THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Are You Congruent Or Consistent?
http://www.mindtools.com/forums/viewtop ... =2703#2703
That pertains do this values issue.